Put Playfulness into Your Painting

Have you ever found yourself “stuck” in a painting, unsure about what to do next? I certainly have.

But it happens a lot less when I give myself time to play.

Play is, in fact, an essential part of enhancing creativity.

When I play with painting — using different media, trying different colors, exploring new shapes and textures and, above all, not expecting to produce a finished work — I not only have fun I also find that I come up with ideas that I like to use in my “real” paintings.

In this video I show you the techniques I’ve developed to inject playfulness into my painting process and to inject fresh ideas. Among the techniques are using media that deliver quick results, such as watercolors, and using colors you don’t ordinarily use. Again, the most important thing is not to try to produce a finished work. Keep it loose and fun.

As a bonus, I’m also offering a free download of the Idea Sheet I created to make it simple to collect ideas I generate in my playful paintings — colors, textures, shapes — for reference when I do get stuck. It’s an easy way to remind yourself of ideas you liked that come out of your painting play time.